Kuro: A Land in Eternal Night

Chapter 31: The Burden of Choice

When Mina awoke, the darkness had returned. It was almost a comfort. She had been worried that nothing would ever be the same again. But the darkness was here, the ever-present companion of all beings on Kuro.

Even in the summer, the wind was chilly. She felt the familiar sense of desolation as the cold, sunless breeze blew shrill again, in sharp contrast to the reality she had felt only moments ago. For a few vague moments Mina thought she was back in the Utter Darkness, back in the jungle and the way of life that she had left behind. She felt the urge to rouse herself quickly, lest the triad gangs find her or worse, and to start running again in the urban jungle.

She had always stayed one step ahead, doing exactly what she needed to stay alive. Still, Mina had found that far easier than what she faced now. Surviving to fight another day was far simpler than having to decide between good and evil, living and dying.

Who had the right to do such things? Certainly not her, she argued. The burden of her choices had never really been a problem for her. Not when it involved only herself.

Kari. Mina felt a few tears slip past her again. People were dying from her choices. Act or not, she made a choice either way and lives depended on it.

"Awake already, I see."

Mina opened her eyes to see Mykall, the warrior, watching over her with a look of concern on his face.

"Welcome back to the land of the living," he said.

Mina rose slowly. Her body ached all over. She felt weak.

"You weep for the dead again, child." The Dark Priestess helped her up. Mina wobbled unsteadily.

Vannah smiled at her. "Slowly, little lady. After what you had been through, it is a wonder you can still breathe, much less stand. You are, as they say, quite the sorry sight."

"We were all worried." Mykall's voice was full of concern.

Mina forced a smile. "Hey, no one messes with a kid from the Utter Darkness. We're a tough bunch. Are they gone?" She looked around for signs of a disturbance. There were signs of a struggle yes, but no enemies. The crowd had largely dispersed as well.

"Yes, little one. Thanks to you, the battle is won."

Mina turned to Vannah, a question in her eyes. "Amaterasu?"

The Dark Priestess nodded. "Yes. For the first time in well over a thousand years, Amaterasu walks on Kuro once more. But..."

Vannah limped slowly, leaning on her staff, her unsteady gait making the normally confident and powerful priestess appear weak again.

"'It is not complete, child. You have manifested her, but she is not able to exert her own will. That is why she needed you to manifest. Wherever she is, she is in a weakened state. We must find her, and you hold the key."

Mina smiled. She knew in her heart it was true.

The cold breeze blew again. But it was a fresh breeze, a sign of the morning, of rebirth. For this day, morning had come to Kuro. And the light of the Goddess had shone upon the land once more.

"What do we do now? We are no closer to Mystika than we were before we got here."

Vannah smiled her eerie but charming smile.

The Dark Priestess pointed to a girl. Mina had not noticed her until now. It was the waitress from the Izakaya. She was now part of the group.

The girl extended her hand out to grasp Mina's and shook them. "I am Ellie Starbreeze. I will help you cross the Boundary of Light."

Mina's eyes widened in surprise. "You had told us back at the Izakaya that there would be no one who could help us cross the Boundary of Light."

Ellie smiled. "I said there was no such man."

Ellie pointed to a vessel in the distance. "That is the Lightbeam, a transport class-vessel and one of the few in all of Taiyou capable of crossing the Boundary of Light."

"How?" Mina almost stammered. The information was coming too fast.

"My father, Captain Alexander Starbreeze, built the prototype. I have crossed the Boundary of Light with him several times before. Once we ventured well past it..." Ellie looked down as if recalling a sad memory. She brushed it aside and turned to Mina.

"I lost my father at sea. I returned to Umi, alone and swore never to sail again."

"Why risk taking us? What makes you think it will be different this time?"

Ellie smiled. "When I first saw you at the Izakaya, I noted your remarkable companions. I was trying to understand how you fit into all of this. I see now that you are the most valuable piece of all."

Ellie took Mina's hand and pointed to the vast darkness that lay ahead. "Ahead of us lies the Boundary of Light, the farthest the light of Taiyou and the Goddess Essence reaches. Beyond it, only darkness awaits. Darkness and the unknown. The key to traversing the Boundary of Light is to have something capable of navigating the waters."

Ellie pointed now to her vessel. "The Lightbeam has something special, a rock taken from a Trove. It can light the way for an extended period of time. That is what allows it to travel beyond the Boundary of Light. However..."

She smiled again at Mina. "Such a thing is no longer needed, for we travel with the light of the Goddess herself."

Mina sighed. Everyone looked to her to solve the problems, and she barely knew what was going on.

"I wish I could tell you I had all the answers." Mina looked downcast.

A hand clasped her shoulder. It was Vannah.

"No one assumes you have all the answers, Mina. But you do have something with you, something we all thought was lost forever. You have brought hope to the land. There is no one else who can bear this task but you. "

The Dark Priestess's eyes turned to slits in the darkness again. This time stern, but not menacing.

"Will you do this Mina? Will you bear this burden?"

And Mina recalled her conversation with the Goddess in the woods. Shades. She would choose the shades and she would follow her heart.

She nodded, looking to each of her companions. Mykall, the warrior, who was leaning heavily on his sword. He looked exhausted and worse for wear, but he was nonetheless standing and for that Mina was grateful. Enma was back in human form. The beautiful Searra was staring quietly at her through the Seal of Tsukuyomi. Searra was wrapped in a gray, makeshift cloak – the cloak of Talthys had been torn to shreds during the battle, leaving Searra's beautiful body exposed in the cold. It had been a rough battle. There were scars visible on the demon's flesh.

Then Mina stared back at the Dark Priestess and at Ellie, their newfound comrade.

All of these people were not perfect. Not entirely good, not entirely evil. Shades of light and darkness.

The great unknown lay before her, but she had found friends, comrades, companions. And anything was better than the Utter Darkness.

Mina smiled at her friends and said. "Then let us go where the path may lead us. Let us find her together."

THE END

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That's it for Book 1 folks! I have one more remaining chapter - the epilogue essentially. I truly hope you have enjoyed reading this humble story of mine. :D